Wooden holder or skewer



Dec. 23, 1952 Filed Aug. 10, 1950 F. GLANTZLIN 2,622,268

WOODEN HOLDER OR SKEWEJR 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR FERDINAND GLANTZL/N 5AM cmm,

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES ?ATENT OFFICE WOODEN HOLDER OR SKEWER Ferdinand GlantzlinQKew Gardens, N. Y.

Application August 10, 1950, Serial No. 178,739

Common toothpicks are sometimes used to hold the several layers of club or similar sandwiches together. However, they are often not strong enough and break while being inserted, thus failing in their intended purpose. The

used to hold olives, cherries or other fruits served in mixed drinks. It is an object of my invention to provide a wooden holder which is wider and longer than a toothpick and a method of making same in quantity at a low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder having notches or projections or both, for providing adequate gripping or holding effect to securely hold the object into which it is inserted. By cutting wooden veneer stock so that they lie lengthwise of the grain of the wood and uniformly tapering them on their opposite edges for their full length, and providing notches and projections along the edges, the holder or skewer will hold itself in place and remain in place as long as desired.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the frictional resistance provided by certain of the wood fibers of the holder to increase its holding power. By tapering the converging edges so that they cross the grain of the wood, individual wood fibers protrude to a slight extent from the edges and enter between particles of the object pierced by the edges to increase their holding power.

A still further object is to provide a method for making holders and skewers of the type described from a thin sheet of wood veneer by cutting them in a particular zig-zag pattern so that there is no waste of wood.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an edge view of a holder shown in Figs. 2 to 18;

Figs. 2 to 18 are plan views showing holders of different shapes embodying the invention;

Figs. 19 to 23 are plan views showing various patterns of transverse cuts used in forming the skewers.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the holder 1 is made of thin wood veneer and as having uniformly tapered edges 2, 3 which extend from its top 4 to the wedge-like tip 5. The skewer is tatapered edges cut across the grain somewhat,

1 Claim. (01. 17-1) pered for its entire length and by reason of this same thing often happens when toothpicks are the holders from thin, 29

feature, the skewer, over its entire inserted length, is continually forcing apart the substance into which it is inserted, making a larger and larger hole the further it goes in. The resulting hole, of course, is also tapered and thereby a strong frictional grip is provided between the skewer and the article into which it is inserted, over the entire inserted length of the skewer. In use, the holder is held between the fingers at the top 4, the point 5 inserted into the object to be held and the holder pushed into the object until it is firmly attached. The holders are cut lengthwise of the grain of the wood so that the with the result that many of the individual wood. fibers extend to a small extent beyond the tapered edges. A few of these fibers or filaments are shown at 6, Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale. These fibers or filaments 6 form barb-like elements or projections which are bent outwardly and backwardly when inserted into an article A, as shown in Fig. 2, for increasing the frictional grip of the skewer with the article and aid in holding it in place.

Holders stamped from wood veneer may conveniently be about inch thick, 3% inches long and 4 inch wide at the top and have a wide variety of uses. They may be served with mixed drinks and used as stirrers and to hold the olives, cherries or other fruit served in such drinks. They are also adapted to hold the sections of club or similar sandwiches together or any other food materials where it is desired to hold several portions together in assembled relation. The uniform taper of edges 2-3 causes a large frictional grip with the object held and this frictional holding power is somewhat increased by the protruding wood fibers 6 which extend into or between the particles of which the object is composed. In addition to its use for holding food, the holder may be used as a cake tester, pipe cleaner, medical applicator and for numerous other purposes.

Where it is desired to have a holder with increased grip, as for example, a skewer to hold together portions of meat, fish or other food while cooking, its holding power may be increased by so cutting the tapered edges as to provide one or more notches therein or one or more projections extending out beyond the edge. These notches or projections provide an interlocking action which increases the frictional grip between the holder and the food and serve effectively to increase the holding power of the holder.

9 a Holders utilizing this construction are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 18.

The holder shown in Fig 3. has a notch 1 out in edge 2 and a rounded projection 8 protruding from edge 3, the notch and projection being located directly opposite each other.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, the skewer has an angular notch or recess 7 and an angular projection 8', and if desired, the notches and projections in the other figures may be angular, as in Fig. 4, instead of rounded, as shown.

In the species shown in Fig. 5, notch l is closer to point 5 than projection B so that as the holder is inserted, the notch enters the food before the projection. In the species shown in Fig. 6, projections l and 8 are also staggered, but oppositely from Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a holder in which notch i and projection 8 partially overlie each other, the projection entering the food first and when it is partially entered, the notch i then entering.

Fig. 8 shows a similar construction, but notch 1 is closer to the point 5 than projection 8 and partially enters the food before projection 8.

Fig. 9 shows a holder in which edge 2 has two spaced apart notches i and edge 3 has two projections 8 disposed directly opposite notches 7.

The holder of Fig. 10 has three notches l and three projections 8 which are somewhat closer to point 5 than the corresponding notches.

In the holder of Fig. 11, notch l enters the food first and before it has completely entered, projection 8 starts to enter and when the notch has completely entered, projection 8 is still entering.

Fig. 12 shows a holder having three notches l in edge 2 and two projections 9 in edge 3 which are staggered with respect to the notches T.

Fig. 13 shows a holder having three projec tions 8 along edge 3 and two notches l in edge 2 staggered with respect to projections 8.

Fig. 14: shows a holder having three projections 8 along edge 2 and three along edge 3 which are in alignment with those along edge 2.

Fig. 15 shows a holder having three notches I in each of its tapered edges, the notches being in alignment.

Fig. 16 shows a holder having two notches 7 in edge 3 which are disposed intermediate the three notches 1 formed in edge 2.

Fig. 17 shows a holder 9 which is of uniform width throughout most of its length and from the region If} has the tapered edges H, 52 terminating in point 5. The edges of portion [3 of uniform width are cut with notches and projections, as shown, to provide wavy shaped edges l4 and I5 which are very effective in securing the holder in the object in which it is inserted.

The holder shown in Fig. 18 is similar to that of Fig. 17 except that the portion l3 of uniform width is somewhat shorter, so that the tapered edges H, l2 meet at a more acute angle at point to correspond with the contour of the holders,

from an elongated strip of wood veneer or plywood with the grain of the wood running in the direction of arrow Ii. By using a wooden strip 4 of the width shown, no wastage of wood results, the entire stock being converted into holders.

Fig. 20 shows an assemblage of holders cut in a manner like Fig. 18 except that the die is designed to cut holders l8 and 19 having staggered notches and projections.

Fig. 21 shows an assemblage of die-cut holders 29, 2| of two types, the holders 29 having three projections 3 along each edge while holders 2| have three notches 7 along each edge.

Fig. 22 shows an assemblage of die-cut holders of three difierent shapes. Holders 22 have a notch 1 in one edge and two projections 3 along the other edge and holders 23 have two notches 7 in one edge and a single projection 8 protruding from the opposite edge. lhe holders 24 are of the type above described in connection with Fig. 2 but somewhat shorter and are suitable for holdin pickles, olives, etc. served with sandwiches.

Fig. 23 shows an assemblage of die-cut holders f two types, the holders 24 being similar to those of Fig. 22. Holders 25 have two notches "l" in one edge and two projections 8 extending from the opposite edge. It will be clear that holders of the shapes shown in Figs. 22 and 23 may be out without any waste from a long strip of veneer stock of the width shown by dies having cutters shaped like the contours of the holders.

To summarize the construction, one of the edges, either straight or tapered, may be provided with one or more notches or with one or more projections; the other edge, either straight or tapered, may be provided with one or more notches or with one or more projections; the various notches and projections may be opposite one another, or may be in alternated or staggered relationship. The provision of one or more notches and projections in one or both edges may be generally described as serrated.

I claim as my invention:

A flat wooden holder or skewer made of flat I stock and of uniform thickness throughout and having its side edges tapering for its entire length to a wedge-like tip, the grain of the wood extending lengthwise of the skewer and forming fibers extending outwardly for minute distances along the entire length of said tapered side edges and in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the skewer, said fibers forming barb-like elements adapted to engage the article into which the skewer is inserted.

FERDINAND GLAN'IZLIN.

REFERENSES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 94,770 Lucke Mar. 5, 1935 D. 101,271 Cowling Sept. 22, 1936 D. 114,752 De Laurentis May 16, 1939 623,571 Shipe Apr. 25, 1899 714,901 Hills Dec. 2, 1902 973,842 Baird Oct. 25, 1910 1,588,056 Rockwell June 8, 1928 1,856,559 Johnson May 3, 1932 1,965,341 Houston July 3, 1934 2,210,414 Kautz Aug. 6, 1940 2,477,194 Millard July 26, 1949 2,557,890 Perry June 19, 1951 

